Former Mets Number One Draft Pick: Terry Blocker (1985)

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Terry Fennell Blocker was born August 18, 1959 in Columbia, South Carolina. He was the Mets #1 overall draft choice in 1981 out of Tennessee State University.

He went to the A ball Jackson Mets in 1982 playing with Daryl Strawberry & Billy Beane in a highly touted minor league outfield. Blocker hit .341 and was another met labeled the outfielder of the future. It didn’t quite work out that way.

He was brought up in 1985 making the club out of Spring Training, but only got three starts getting used as a pinch hitter & pinch runner. In 15 at bats he only hit .067 and was sent back down to the minors. He spent the next two seasons in the International League at AAA Tidewater, where he hit .300 in both 1985 &1987.

By November of 1987 he was traded off to the Atlanta Braves for Kevin Brown who only pitched two career innings as a Met. Blocker played two seasons (1988-1989) as a reserve outfielder in Atlanta hitting .218 with 2 HRs 11 RBIs & 5 doubles. He retired from baseball after the 1989 season, batting .205 in 110 games played.

Hero: In 1995 Blocker helped police track down the murderer of his friend, Braves pitcher, replacement player David Shotkoski. Shotkoski was shot by a hold up man who asked for his money.

He traveled to the worst parts of West Palm Beach Florida, gathering information to find the killer. He helped solve the case and then refused to accept the reward offered. Instead he told police to give the money to Shotkoski’s wife.

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